Manihiki Lagoon

Mop Divers Banned

To Be Closed

Throughout 1956

FTER a warning by the \ Resident Commissioner of the Cook Islands about the fishing f undersized mother-of-pearl shell i Manihiki lagoon, it was ann ounced on August 12 that the rich toon will be closed to divers for Je calendar year of 1956 —and foi fcger if it is thought necessary— I allow the beds to recover. [Divers will have to transfer their ttivities to the deeper, weedy, orm-infested, open Pen rhy n tgoon, which has been little fished nee World War IT.

With a prolific harvest of shell mailable at Manihiki and all divers, [eluding all the best Penrhyn vers, employed there, Penrhyn has sen idle. . .

Some of the divers at present grating at Manihiki will not be ale to operate in the Penrhyn deep lotions where the best shell often a s.

It is probable, too, that much orm-infested old shell will be und in Penrhyn lagoon, so that jen if the quantity of shell is aintained, the quality is likely to flower until the old shell is fished it.

IHE Resident Commissioner in . dicated that Suwarrow, which was test-dived in 1953 with »mising results, may be opened to co-operative group next year.

This open lagoon has a reputa m for man-eating sharks, but the vers there in 1953 were not rthered by sharks, though the ar. long-established, persists, and en are reluctant to work this goon.